https://imgur.com/a/tfvPJnP (Finishing the scenario around 7 years to go)
https://imgur.com/a/3WuJ6wB (Had around 100-150 per year of ammo, troops, weapons)
https://imgur.com/a/FlTZYPR (Double up of everything)
So it´s been 5 years...antso22 here (had to make a new account)...Oh the nostalgia...This map, this scenario, and just railroad tycoon 3...the feelings, the atmopshere...I love it so much...I did a quick map a long time ago to try and beat Go West in record time (4 years) on hard/gold and hoped that´d be it...Then decided...just...one...more...And returned to this map to try and finally conquer it. Started re-reading the magnificent handbook by the legendary Oilcan, and read the posts on this gentle forum, by another legend RulerofRails. I decided to record my games, and I remember mentioning It´d be fantastic to see how a player like Oilcan and RulerofRails use hubs/spokes, express trains, mail trains, and how to use maintaince sheds and water towers. I realized this map really isn´t meant much for express despite me trying to make it work, but it really was not worth it much.
I throughly enjoyed this map,and played it a couple times. Tried to really take my time, and I did get a 16m profit after 5 years through industries going with the indsutry option. A huge number, and that allowed me to get my track going. I decided to play with no unconnected track, and also no issue of stocks - just like RulerofRails. I did allow myself other trains though but using only steam is so much more fun especially on a map like this. I also tried to get a nice personal networth, just for fun.
I had way too many trains unprofitable I felt, but some of them were okay as they were doing the hauling stuff I wanted, or perhaps I had too few as when I tried to let the AI roll it, they added 10-15m extra profit through freight. I also tried to not manipulate any markets, and do everything legit, but some bad spawns made it so I had to make a huge station to get the lumber faster, and made alot of furniture factories to make a demand. I did try not to buy any industries and delete nor to cut an industry by putting an newer one in a better spot as I feel thats very cheap and exploitable.
I managed to finish my goal now after 5 years. Got the gold, and with around 7 years to spare, and on top of that - decided to let it roll and see what I could get - I can see you can do way more than this and push it alot more both with profits, and also hauling...Especially the insanely exploitable trick where a city needs 1 ammo, and you send it not just 8, but maybe 32 (4 trains) and then as soon as they arrive you send those 32 to another town...that way you could perhaps get over 5000-10000+ hauling in that time - so none of those sort of exploits.
Im happy with my results and managed to do twice as much of everything when I let it run out..I can´t recall if I had another year. It does say you have 30 years. So I think this was the end. I´ll just post some screenshots and may upload it to my youtube documentation channel of played games.
It´d be fantastic to see OilCan, RulerofRails or Gumboost record how they play with express, track, and perhaps this map or another - as I´d really like to see some neat tricks, as I feel there is room for alot of improvement. I think I got the hang of the whole passenger thing though, like how they don´t want to wait (I can see they drop out every year like from 15 to 5) so I guess you got 1 year, and the whole troops is very confusing too, despite knowing they move from barracks to barrakcs and I think also sometimes just to another city (maybe for terrain training? as in real life)
And it should be possible to farm premium trains but they are very rare, but there is probably a XXX percentage it needs to be faster and over a specific distance perhaps - I´m sure you could get some stuff, especially if you buy different kinds of trains and only take those with just a bit faster.
I also didn´t think about Zanzibar was East Africa like RulerofRails mentioned, that was a suprise.
I´m happy I could enjoy this map - make some nice tracks, tunnels, and even bridges going accross valleys - although I refuse to make them if they seem unrealistic. I think I did a good job on the express overall as there never was an abundance...I decided instead of always having the ABC and CBA trains, and hubs to hubs - I could have one exprescovering 3-4 cities, and one express from hub to hub, and one freight from hub to hub, and a few times if there was breweries several places, I´d have to make a train from A to D to get the alcohol accross - that makes sense if you look at the mao then it can be justified...I also tried to have 2 trains percity, then 1 express even if it wasn´t too profitable - so I wouldn´t forget..I realized renaming stations and renaming trains could help out so I could just go back an add more later instead of too early...but I couldn´t figure out how to rename the trains...I thought there was a way but I seem to have forgot alot, but that would be useful to type in the cities and its routes, so you can easily see how many you got per city etc. I do love the ledger and all the infomration on the stations...I also decided to add Hotels most places, as they are so profitable usually, and restaurants do well too..and mail I feel the mere price of 1-2k per year is well worth it, just a coupel extra loads of mail saved does alot...Taverns I feel never really do well, its so rare..so I usually don´t bother with those. I just wanted to try and really maximize what was possible. But so much more can be done I realized!
Here is some screenshots from my game...I definitely want to play through the entire campaign again..and every single scenario aswell as eveyr scenario from Hawkdawg...I hope I can resist the addiction as it takes so much time when you want to do it perfectly and you also really enjoy the atmosphere...Such a fantastic game with amazing people - and I´m so happy to see the forum is still alive...Thank you so much to you all, but especially to Hawk, Gumboots, Oilcan and RulerofRails - It´d be fantastic if one could see how such legends play, and use the these different ways of managing trains, express, and their systsems - I try to follow what I learned from Oilcan´s Handbook - and its such a pleasure to read it and read all the information on the forum - but I´m sure if I could see how such experts played it, I´d be even better and be able to do so much more - as I can see there is room for improvement. I´m not sure if any of those are active anymore...I also had a quick look at so many other scenario maps from this site I remember I played...oh the memories...hundreds...thousands of hours can quickly be spent on this...you get so sucked in and addicted to it...Love the challenges and also the other African maps, I really enjoy the exotic maps, and I do love steam and the older maps a ton too, i do also like the whole electric thing too, it´s not really my style but I do very much enjoy it when I let myself really get into it, and its fantastic...there is so much to appreciate, from the sounds of nature when you zoom in on the jungle trees, to watching the trains ride, to micro manaing and macro managing so many things and learning and reading about all the history of the trains, the people, and so much more!
I have the deepest and most sincere respect for everyone who has made this, and also kept this site alive and to all the creators and the gentle, kind and highly intelligent people I´ve found on this site. Thank you so much, to all of you. I hope I can let this be it, and not get addicted again...I hope...I´m just happy at least I let myself get a bit of nostalgia again, from my old childhood game back from 2003 where I had no clue what I was doing to really feeling like you mastered it...I love taking my time spending an hour or more before even starting a game, just calculating the best options..like okay..5 grain farms...10 grain..cost 50-60 each..okay we can seel for 200-210...so thats 150 a load, then some overhead..increased prices...hmm okay what more can we do...all of that - I also enjoy doing all the manufacutring at the same place, no need to pay for tracks or trains if it can all be done at the same place - the railroad should help the industires, no the other way around unless needed or express. Usually you can get a 10% profit on every standard farm, 20% is very good but 30% is usually too good to pass, if you can see they make 30% ROI per year, unless you got even better industires, like on this map 16m was possible for me in 5 years - but using the tracks and only trains could be fun...Oh and I also enjoy the whole war, weapons ammo concept, its very rare to see - and who doesn´t love to see a factory making over 2M in profts and then when the scenario is over looking back on all you´ve done...Its also fun to play scenarios past their time to see the ultimate of whats possible - like texas tea I once tried getting to 100m+ profit per year..obviously that takes time, and theres so many scenarios to be enjoyed...
If any of the legends are active, it´d be fantastic to see a recording of this scenario or any other map to see how maintaince sheds, express, hubs and spokes and so much other stuff is done - one can always learn more, and knowledge is power, especially when put into action.
Thank you, and I´m happy I accomplished my goal. All the best!
antso22/BigBoyTycoon - Had to create a new account as I didn´t remember my old one or even have the email.
Take care & Stay safe!
I had 0 game time for the past few days. I must point out that the statement I made about 1/2 to 2/3 is NOT time remaining but time GIVEN. So say the goals are in 30 years, I can often do it in 15-20 years. I tend to pick the more involved scenarios and to say "time remaining" doesn't give respect to the creator who put lots of effort into making an enjoyable challenge for the medals. Of course the less involved scenarios can be beaten in even less time. Lots of the original PopTop scenarios are in the less involved category. (An example: Chip off the Old Block as revised by Gumboots done in 9 years with the Red Devil. A great redo, I recommend it.) Once again I look at it as strategy with time being a factor so the quickest strategy is best, but not so much as a competition, just an improvement and refinement of strategy. It is amazing how much thought can go into trying to optimize a strategy for a particular scenario. On top of all that it has to be fun and interesting. I get tired of hitting scenarios in the same way over and over again, hence my focus on trying to get rail revenue refined to a point where it is better or at least as good as industrial revenue. Every pass I try something new, and I will always have some new ideas to try. Great fun!
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